


A Story Told On Halloween

by Paffa



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Children, Does this count as Slow Burn ?, Lee Minho | Lee Know is a Witch, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Death, Soonie; Doongie and Dori, Storytelling, but nothing major
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27305992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paffa/pseuds/Paffa
Summary: Once he regained his wits again, Minho looked up and was startled once more. This time by a boy hiding in the bush across of him. Big, curious eyes watched Minho from their hiding spot in between the leaves and branches.For what felt like eternity, the two boys were stuck staring at each other, neither of them moving in any way. That is until the hidden boy’s breath hitched before he let out a loud sneeze, effectively cutting off their eye contact.Minho shook himself out of the strange feeling and calmly stood up again, careful not to frighten the other boy.“Who are you?” Minho asked once he was crouched in front of the bush.The other answered by blinking.or: Minho is six years old when he meets Jisung for the first time.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 2
Kudos: 90





	A Story Told On Halloween

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!

This is a story of a boy and his forever companion. A story of friendship and love, loss and discovery.

This is the story of a boy named Minho.

The six-year old lived with both his parents in a cottage at the edge of a big forest. The next village was a thirty-minute walk away and when he was younger, Minho believed that to be the reason why nobody ever came to visit them. For him, such a distance was reason enough to never expect to see others. His parents also never discouraged his beliefs, telling him that everyone else was just not keen enough to travel this far only to visit them.

When Minho reached the age of six, he learned the truth.

He had sneaked his way into the nearby village and at first, he had been mesmerized. Never had he seen so many people all at one place. There must have been a festival going on that day as well, seeing how loud and happy everyone had been. There had been music playing at every corner; people laughing and dancing together.

The young boy had walked around, listening and observing, before he had been distracted by the heavenly smell. The smell of freshly cooked food had blanketed the whole town. He hadn’t had any money with him, since back at his own home he had never had any use for it, but now had wished for some. If only to buy himself what must have been the most delicious pie he had ever seen or smelt.

The trouble had only started once he had walked into a bunch of children around his age.

At first, they had been excited and welcoming. Had asked him his name and where he came from, seeing how they had never seen him before. Minho, of course, had told them, hoping that he could make new friends. But as soon as these children had heard that he was living outside their village, in a cottage near the forest, they had started screaming. Shouting at him words he had never heard before. But by the look on their faces Minho had known that these words weren’t pretty ones.

Soon, other people had come over to see what the commotion was all about.

“Mother, it’s the strange boy! He is living in that old house, where the witch lives with her bedevilled one! He came to curse us all!”

The voices had grown louder and angrier. More people joining in, even starting to throw rocks and food at the young, terrified boy. Minho had started running away, fleeing from the onslaught of aggression.

Back home he immediately had thrown himself into the waiting arms of his mother.

Minho was six years old when he found out just how special of a boy he really was.

His parents had sat him down in front of their fireplace and once everyone – their three cats included – had been cozy and warm, they had started to explain to him the real reason why they were living outside town.

“My boy. My special, special boy. Minho, love, you aren’t like the other children. Just how we aren’t like the other parents. No, my love. We are special. The other people don’t understand. They are scared. Simply, because they don’t know how else to react,” his mother had started to explain while fondly patting down his unkempt and still dirty hair. “The energy you can feel within yourself. The way you just know the changes in the weather even before they happen. The understanding of nature in every way. This and more is what makes you exceptional, my love.”

“You are just like your mother and me. And I’m sorry you had to find out like this. On this special day at that. Darling, you must have been terrified. All alone down there. We should have told you sooner. We knew you were old enough to know the truth. But we feared telling you, thinking you would be mad at us. Angry at the world. But, Minho, please, don’t be.”

Minho was six years old when he found out that he – just like his parents – was a witch.

The following spring was the first time Minho met the other boy.

He had started being taught by his parents by the start of the new year. His father wanted him to go outside and study the forest by himself for the first time, and so Minho went to search for any plant and any animal he would be able to correctly identify. There weren’t many he had been taught about yet, but still it was a fun way to deepen his learnings and root them in reality.

He was watching one of the many squirrels in the nearby area, when a little red fox scurried past him. The sudden movement startled the young boy so much that he stumbled and tumbled to the floor. Once he regained his wits again, Minho looked up and was startled once more. This time by a boy hiding in the bush across of him. Big, curious eyes watched Minho from their hiding spot in between the leaves and branches.

For what felt like eternity, the two boys were stuck staring at each other, neither of them moving in any way. That is until the hidden boy’s breath hitched before he let out a loud sneeze, effectively cutting off their eye contact.

Minho shook himself out of the strange feeling and calmly stood up again, careful not to frighten the other boy.

“Who are you?” Minho asked once he was crouched in front of the bush.

The other answered by blinking.

“Are you lost?” The six-year old continued.

Rustling indicated the other shaking his head. “No.” His voice was squeaky and coarse, like it wasn’t familiar with being used yet.

“Why are you hiding?”

The curiosity inside the other boy’s eyes turned into confusion. “Hiding?”

Minho cleared his throat and sat down instead of staying crouched. “Yes. Why are you in the bush? It cannot be comfortable for you.”

“I was watching.”

“Watching what?”

Before the strange boy could answer Minho’s question though, the same red fox hurried back towards them. Once it noticed the two youngsters though, it stopped right in his tracks. Minho knew he had to keep quiet to not scare the animal away. Knowledge the other boy seemingly was not possessing.

“He’s a boy.” As soon as he had spoken these words, the small animal turned and ran away again.

With a small sigh, Minho turned to face the other boy again. “How do you know that it’s a boy?”

“No. Not ‘it’. He.” The boy’s eyes were once more fixated onto Minho’s own, as if to try and look into his soul. Minho didn’t know what he was searching for, or if he ever found it.

“What do you mean?”

But before he answered, the stranger crawled out of his hiding place and took Minho by his hand to heave him to his feet. Then he pulled him away, out of the forest and towards a meadow Minho had never noticed before. Only once both were seated on the grass next to each other, did the other boy answer.

“The fox. He was a boy once. And now he isn’t. I followed him. Watched him. Now, I don’t know where he went anymore.”

To a six-year-old Minho those words made more sense then they would ever to a grown-up. “Maybe he was meant to lead you towards me.”

Silence settled over them. Even when Minho felt the other’s gaze still on him, he didn’t turn. “My name’s Minho. When you tell me your name we can be friends.”

Minho was terrified of the answer. The only other time he ever had tried to make friends by telling them his name, he had been chased away and shouted at. But something about this boy felt different.

“Han. That’s what you can call me.”

Han. A happy grin spread on Minho’s face. When he turned around, Han was already watching him. There wasn’t a smile on the other boy’s face, but that didn’t deter Minho’s own happiness. He had just made his very first friend.

Han didn’t stay for long afterwards. He told Minho that he had to leave or else his guardian would come searching for him, which wasn’t something Han wanted to happen.

“When will you come back?” Minho asked, sounding almost desperate.

For the first time that day, the other boy displayed something else than confusion or curiosity. For the first time he looked sad. “I don’t know. Hopefully, not too soon.”

Later, when Minho told his parents about his new friend, he left the last part out. Simply telling them Han was traveling a lot and couldn’t tell him when he would be back again.

Six months later marked the second time Minho saw his friend.

This time, Minho was outside on the porch playing with Dori, his cat and familiar. Even before Minho came to know of his magic, their three cats had been a huge part of his life. The only difference now was that he knew why they didn’t age or seem to be more intelligent than was normal.

Dori was indulging Minho with his toys, when Han suddenly appeared next to them. “Hello.”

The suddenness of it all startled the young boy and his cat so much that both yelped loudly, with Dori hurrying away. “Han! Don’t do that!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Han said, his brows furrowed making him look more confused than sorry.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Minho said while standing up and facing the other boy. “You came back! I wasn’t sure if you’d be back.”

Hearing that, Han’s frown deepened even further. “Why wouldn’t I? We’re friends. And you asked me to visit again.”

Minho nodded at that before taking one of Han’s hands and pulling him away from their house, shouting back for his parents to hear, “I’m going out! We’ll be back before dusk!”

During the day Han loosened up a lot. One moment Minho was especially proud of was when he made the other boy laugh out loud for the first time. He hadn’t even intended to do that. He simply had tried to copy a sparrow’s call, but his voice had cracked in the process. Afterwards, there had been a short pause where both boys looked at each other, before Han broke out into laughter. Just like the time back where Minho had gone into the village, he had been mesmerized by the onslaught of sound and energy, only that the energy now felt ten times brighter, making Minho literally feel the happiness Han was experiencing.

Once the sun started to set, Han told Minho that he had to leave again.

“You will be back, right?”

Han hesitated before answering, the happy smile slipping from his face. “I don’t know. I want to see you again. Playing with you was so much fun. But I never know when I can be back.”

Minho understood that. Han had to travel a lot and thus couldn’t predict when he will be back. Still, he felt sad upon hearing his friend say it out loud.

“Just promise me that when you’re nearby you come visit me, okay?”

Han didn’t answer his question verbally, but a nod and squeeze of his hand was enough for Minho.

A whole year passed without Minho seeing Han again.

His parents tried to comfort him as best as they could. But the young boy still ached to play with his friend. He didn’t dare try making new friends in the village. He wouldn’t ever go close to it again. So, he was left with studying and playing with their cats. 

The days Han visited him became his favourite. Minho never asked many questions. He only ever listened to his friend talk about all the other places he got the see throughout the year.

Han told him of the strangest places. Of water streams ending in harsh and unforgiving waterfalls. Animals so unique that Minho couldn’t even imagine them. Flowers so beautiful, people would break into war over them. He even recounted a story about the sky turning red, and stars falling from the sky.

The more the other boy told him the more Minho wanted to see it all for himself.

This is how the two spent their rare days together over the years. Playing any game they could think of together before settling down in the grass of their meadow where Han would tell these incredible stories and Minho would listen.

They only broke out of their routine once. A storm so strong that they simply couldn’t handle being outside for long, led to them huddling up together by the fireplace in Minho’s home. His mother made tea for them while the two boys were playing with Dori and Soonie.

“You know, I’ve never played with a cat before,” Han whispered to Minho after Soonie had fallen asleep in his lap. Minho didn’t answer and simply watched his friend thread through the cat’s fur with careful fingers.

“You don’t need to be this tentative, Darling. Soonie is used to worse from Minnie here. Speaking of, Love, could you give me a hand please?” The calm voice of his mother interrupted their silence. Minho immediately stood up and walked over to where his mother was waiting in the doorway, holding out two mugs with steaming tea. “Careful, it’s still hot.”

Minho thanked her before slowly making his way back to his friend and setting down the mismatched mugs on the wooden floor. His mother soon followed him with a plate of freshly-baked cookies. Han perked up at the smell and asked if he could have one.

“Of course, just don’t share with Dori. He is supposed to be on a sugar-free diet.” Mentioned cat let out an angry mewl before jumping out of Minho’s lap and onto an armchair that was out of their reach. His mother watched the cat and shook her head, then turned back towards the two boys sitting on the floor. “Are you sure you don’t want to join us for dinner, Pumpkin?”

“Mom,” Minho whined, “tone it down with these nicknames. Please.”

Han let out a confused sound at that. “Why? I like them. I only ever hear any whenever I’m here.”

Hearing that Minho’s mother smiled fondly at the boy and placed the plate that she was still holding next to him on the floor. “Well, in that case I will figure out new ones whenever you come visit, Buttercup.”

Minho’s groan was drowned out by Han’s laughter. After his mother had left them alone again, they started to play a word chain game since Han still didn’t want to wake up the sleeping cat. Surprisingly, his friend was better at this game.

“How do you know so many more words? Are you cheating? You’re not inventing new words, are you?” Minho asked after the fifth time he lost.

“I’m not! These are all words I heard while travelling.” Han answered.

After he lost for the twelfth time, Minho told his friend that he wanted to play another game. The day ended with Han staying for dinner for the first time.

Minho always assumed his friend was the same age as he was. Only once his voice started to crack and deepen, whereas Han’s stayed squeaky and higher-pitched, did it cross Minho’s mind that maybe the other was younger.

He ask Han about his age the next time they saw each other.

“Huh? I’m not sure, but probably around twelve years old? Why?”

Han’s answer confirmed his suspicion. “No particular reason. You’re younger than me then. I’ll turn fourteen next month.”

Minho didn’t expect getting a letter the month of his fourteenth birthday. It didn’t come on the correct day but a week early. And still, the letter meant everything to the teenage boy.

It wasn’t long and didn’t contain much, simply wishing him a happy birthday and explaining that Han had tried to persuade his guardian to let him come and visit Minho but wasn’t allowed to.

_“I am so very sorry. Believe me when I say that I wanted to see you this month. I do not even know if you will ever read this letter. Even still, I promise to see you soon. Whenever that means this year yet again or in the next, I do not know yet. I miss you every day that I cannot see you.”_

Minho put Han’s letter under his pillow, so that it would be the first and last thing he thought about in a day.

Whenever Han was away, the older boy would keep up with his studies. His father taught him everything to know about herbs and roots that contained healing properties.

His mother in turn would teach him how to keep himself save. She taught him how defend himself – first building up his physical strength before adding spells he could use to confuse and elude potential enemies. 

“Fight smart not hard, my love,” she told him the one time he asked about stronger spells. “You have already won a fight if you know how to outsmart your opponent.”

The more Minho learned and improved the more he wanted to tell Han about his powers. But he was scared. He didn’t want to lose the only friend he ever made.

The day Minho turned fifteen, Han visited him for the last time.

Of course, the boy didn’t know that when the younger stood in front of their door, a small smile adoring his face. “Happiest of birthdays, Minho!”

They stayed like this – with Han outside on the porch, his smile slowly slipping from his face and Minho frozen inside the door, surprise cursing through his entire body – until Minho’s mother came over and invited the younger boy inside. They ate his birthday meal together, while Han told every story he could think of. Minho’s parents listened attentively only interrupting the younger boy to ask him further questions about his sightings.

Minho simply watched them fondly, petting Dori who was sleeping on his lap contently. He felt complete.

After the meal, the two boys decided to go outside, Han having coaxed Minho into another game of hide-and-seek. “I’m fifteen now, Hannie. Aren’t I too old for these games now?”

“Too old? Min, please. Nobody is ever too old for these games. Now come on!”

Excited, the younger pulled Minho into the forest only for him to let go and hurry away to hid. “Count to ten. And no cheating!”

Minho didn’t finish counting to ten. When he reached the number six, he heard a cry. A cry that was human. A cry that belonged to Han.

Immediately he left their counting spot and started franticly searching for his friend. “Han! Hannie! Where are you? Are you hurt?”

No reply.

Before he started to panic, Minho remembered a spell his mother had shown him a few months earlier. So, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to try and calm himself. Only once he heard the leaves sway with the wind did he open his eyes again.

“Ductu.”

At first nothing happened. Then, the wind changed its direction and a path of leaves opened for Minho to follow. He hurried through the forest following said path and stopped when he saw why Han had cried out.

The younger boy was trapped, entangled in low-hanging vines, one of his feet stuck inside a small opening inside a tree. “Minho! Please, help me.”

The older boy tried to do just that. He hurried over and tried to disentangle Han from the vines. When that didn’t work, he tried to pull his friend’s foot out of the tree. But that only ended in pained screams from the younger boy. “Stop! Please, Min! It hurts!”

“How did you even end up like this?” Minho asked while ceasing his attempts to free the other.

“I don’t know. I mean- I may have tried to climb this tree using the vines but I couldn’t have known that it would try to kill me!”

The laughter that threatened to leave Minho was very short-lived. How could he help his friend without hurting him?

“Are you mad? I didn’t mean to end up like this, I swear,” Han said while looking down at him with saddened eyes.

Letting out a sigh and shaking his head, Minho smiled up at the younger. “It’s okay. I will fix this.”

But the only way to do that, Minho knew, would lead to exposing himself and his magic. He didn’t want to keep Han up there until he had found a different way, possibly having to cut down the tree in the process though. And so, he made up his mind.

“Hannie, I need you to close your eyes. Please, try to concentrate on anything else but not whatever you might hear me say in the next few seconds, okay?”

“What? Min, what are-?”

Before he could finish speaking, Minho interrupted him harshly. “Please! Just do what I say.”

He regretted his tone immediately after when he saw the hurt on Han’s face. Before he could apologize though, the younger boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Naturam parere!” Minho chanted right after taking a deep breath himself.

He felt the confusion seep out of Han even before the vines started retracting; even before the tree let go of the younger’s foot.

Once he felt the plants bend to his will, Minho opened his eyes, only to see Han slip from the vines and fall towards the ground. Without thinking about it, Minho reached for the younger to soften the fall, making both of them tumble onto the duff.

They let out a groan at the sudden pain before regaining their senses. Minho looked up at his friend to try and decipher what his reaction would be, only for the younger’s body to stiffen once they made eye contact. Only then did Minho realize the close proximity they were in. His breath hitched.

In that moment, Minho knew he would do anything to keep Han close to him. That losing the younger would break him into pieces. It only took a second for Minho to realize this. A second in which Han must have come to his own realisation, seeing how he hastily stood up.

They didn’t talk on their way back towards the cottage. It was the heaviest silence Minho had ever had to endure. He almost wished the angry voices back which still haunted his dreams.

Once they arrived at the door, Han stopped Minho from walking inside. “I’m sorry. I need to leave now. Min, I don’t know if- I mean when I’ll be back.”

Now, Minho wished back the silence. “Is it because of what I am? Are you scared too?”

These questions brought back the saddened look Han had only worn the first few times they had ever met. “I am scared, but not for the reasons you think. Min, you are different. Special. And that does, indeed, scare me.”

Not giving Minho a chance to reply, the younger boy turned around and left.

Han never came back to visit him again.

In the next two years until his seventeenth birthday, Minho waited every day for any sign from the other. Once, he saw the very same red fox from their first encounter again and had hoped that it had to be a sign, but nothing came of it. The fox simply watched him with sad, knowing eyes before hiding in the forest again.

On his birthday that year, his parents told him that he was now old enough to travel the world.

“This is the beginning of your own path, my love. Go and free yourself.” His mother had said.

“Darling, take Dori with you. He will guide you whenever you need it most. I know you will do great, Minho. So, don’t restrict yourself any longer.” His father had added.

And like this, Minho’s journey started. At first, he had travelled east, hoping to follow the same path Han had always told him about. But with only the younger’s stories to guide him, Minho didn’t come very far. So, instead he questioned as many people as possible on his travels. None of whom had ever seen or heard of a Han before.

Two more years went by. Minho met many people on his journey. Some of whom he was able to learn from, some of whom he rather hadn’t encountered and some of whom he still to this day was scared of.

The Detainer of Lies was one of them.

“He was once a human just like you and me. A man with a small family. Never rich but not deadly poor either. People would describe him as ordinary. Simple. But no one knew of his maliciousness. The horrors he made his family go through. This man was a liar. An abuser and cheat. Some even say a killer. Not a person still alive knows the truth. We only know the stories.

And his story goes as follows: once the Detainer of Lies was still human, he cheated the legendary creature Haetae. Nobody is sure just how he went about it or why he would have ever thought to lie to such a righteous creature. When Haetae caught him cheating his way out of their agreement, they cursed the man to never be able to lie ever again.

Now he resides up in the high mountains. The Detainer of Lies allows you answer to the one question you so desperately seek answer to. He will not lie. But neither can you. He can ask any question he desires and once you answer with a lie, he will take your soul with him. And if that alone is not enough to scare you enough to keep away from him, maybe his appearance will.

The Detainer of Lies is said to have a sewn-up mouth, a stitch for every lie he has ever told. Blood still pouring from the open wounds, never ceasing. His hollow-unseeing eyes watch your every step as soon as you walk into his lair. One of his legs shrunken in on itself to make sure he would never leave and seek for a cure. The hair that once had adorned his head now ripped out due to him being driven mad by all those tortured souls left behind.

So, traveller, be aware of it all. Is the answer you seek really important enough to encounter this monster?”

Dori hadn’t followed him inside the cave. He had insisted on waiting outside, so that, if anything were to happen to the young witch, he could inform his parents. Minho knew not to argue with his familiar and simply made his way into the cave alone.

Once inside, he immediately felt heavy. With every step he took further inside, the burden grew heavier. Only, that it wasn’t weighing on his shoulders - not really. The burden resided inside his mind. The closer he got towards where he supposed the Detainer of Lies would be, his thoughts grew so arduous that Minho could have sworn his headache alone would bring him to his knees.

The moment he caught sight of the monster, Minho understood why everyone who had lived to tell the tale warned to never go anywhere near it. Nothing could have prepared him for the of this creature. The bloodied and dirty suture that was almost leaking with fresh blood, threaded through more punctures than Minho could ever count. Hollow eyes that were hooded with images of a life the monster would now never be able to live. The temperature dropped by as many floating souls hurling around the creature, moaning in despair. If it hadn’t been for the heaviness rooting him to the floor, Minho might have fled instantaneously.

 **“Tell me, why did you come to me?”** The haunting voice boomed inside Minho’s mind, having forced entry against his will.

He immediately felt compelled to lie and say he had walked in by accident before remembering what any lie he would tell could cause to happen. “I am looking for an answer.”

**“Is that so? Why come to me, young traveller? Certainly, I cannot be the only one to help you.”**

Minho had to force himself to stay upright and not succumb to the onslaught of darkness. “There is no one else I can think of who could ever give me the answer I seek.”

If the Detainer of Lies would have been able to laugh in victory, Minho thought he would have done so right then.

**“An answer only I can give to you? Then you must be desperately searching. Tell me, traveller, why is it that you search for something so unattainable?”**

Any answer that formed in Minho’s mind didn’t feel like the truth. Why was he really here? Why was he risking his life? For what? Or rather- for who.

“I’m searching for a long-lost friend.” At the last word pain so indescribable that Minho almost lost consciousness shot through his whole being.

**“Oh? A lie that isn’t yet one? You certainly are interesting. Now, why do you think you were punished for saying what you said?”**

Minho kept quiet. Silence didn’t count as a lie, did it? Apparently, it did, seeing how the pressure inside his mind grew so much, Minho thought his head would explode.

“I- I don’t-“ Minho started, but the pain doubled upon his words. “Stop! Enough! I know! He isn’t just a friend. He is more than that. But before I was able to figure out what exactly that means, he left. So, yes, I know that I do not consider him solely a friend, but I do not know why.”

The pain didn’t ease off, but at least it didn’t worsen either.

**“Good. Well, normally this is the part where I ask about your biggest secret. But it seems that you yourself still haven’t figured that out. So, tell me, what is your biggest lie?”**

Everything stopped. Minho couldn’t think clearly enough to distinct every lie he had ever told. He simply couldn’t recall. But he knew that not giving an honest answer now would cost him his life.

“Rather than a lie I told someone else, it is a lie I tell myself every day. Every morning when I wake up. Every night before I fall into sleep. I tell myself that I am enough. That I am strong. Complete on my own. But that’s a lie. If I was whole, then I wouldn’t be here right now. No. I lie to myself to protect myself. So that I wont despair. You ask for my biggest lie? It’s that I am complete. Because I am not.”

Silence followed Minho’s words. Even though the heaviness didn’t drag him towards the floor and his head didn’t threaten to explode anymore, he wasn’t sure if his answer was good enough to please the creature.

**“Oh my. I really thought I could trick you with that question, little witch. As it seems though, I now have to grand you your answer. So, ask away.”**

A relieved sigh left Minho. “The only question I seek answer to is the whereabouts of my lost frie- I mean, the whereabouts of Han. Where is he? Where do I find him?”

**“You see, witch, I had hoped you would ask me this. The answer to this question is the easiest I ever had to give. I do not know. If I didn’t know better, I would say he is in the underworld. My knowledge though stops here.”**

If Minho hadn’t still been enduring this otherworldly pain, he would have unleashed all the anger that started to build inside of him. “What? What do you mean, you don’t know? Aren’t you supposed to give answer to every question?”

**“And I did. You simply do not listen. You’ve received your answer, now leave.”**

The next thing Minho remembered was waking up outside the cave, the pain having been replaced by indescribable anger.

And like this, he continued his journey; building connections, reaching new heights and falling to new lows, discovering the lands. Occasionally, he was reminded of his encounter with the Detainer of Lies. Remembering it though meant that he was also reminded of the answer he had gotten. An answer he still couldn’t make anything of.

When Minho reached the age of twenty-two, he was invited to a masquerade ball.

He went wearing a mask matching his deep purple dressing gown, that even Dori had approved of.

The night had started slow. Not too many people engaged him into conversation, and Minho himself wasn’t too keen on forming new bonds that in the end wouldn’t lead him anywhere new anyway. So, he mostly kept to himself, drinking his glass of wine. Even the festive music wasn’t enough to make him want to dance, which normally was the first and only thing he did whenever he attended a ball like this.

“I do not suppose I could get you to dance with me?” An almost familiar voice sounded from behind Minho once he had set down his glass to get a refill. Turning around, he came face to face with the darkest look he had ever seen on any of these masquerades.

“I don’t know. Maybe if you get me another glass full of that wine, I will consider your offer.”

The other person’s mask was so big it almost obscured the small smile forming on the stranger’s face. Almost. Without another word, the newcomer took Minho by the hand and maneuvered his way through the crowd. He only stopped once they found themselves in a faraway corner near the musicians playing song after song.

“Wait, I said I’d consider after you get me my wine,” Minho started to protest, but was cut short by the arm slung around his waist and the hand taking his hands to put them into the right position for dancing.

“You never specified the time I had to get you another drink. Therefore, I will get you your wine after we dance. Now come on, I know you know how to dance.”

Perplexed by the forwardness, Minho simply fell into step with the grim stranger. They didn’t talk much, instead they listened to the music and followed its rhythm together.

“You know, seeing you stand there only nursing your glass of wine, I couldn’t help but think it didn’t fit you very well,” the stranger broke the silence.

“Oh? Then what do you think fits me better?”

There was a short pause in which the other repositioned their arms so that Minho was now in charge of the dance. “I believe this fits you a lot better.”

“This?”

“You know, dancing. With me.”

Again, Minho was startled by the forwardness of the stranger, but surprisingly he wasn’t appalled. Normally, he would have already left any suitor that came onto him a little too strong. Something was different with this one though.

It took Minho three more songs and a flowing conversation to understand just why he hadn’t pulled away already. Now, he only needed to find a way to ask the question forming in his mind.

“I can almost feel you think. Which is an impressive feat to achieve, I must say.”

Upon hearing that, Minho was reminded to let himself feel. He felt for any surge in energy he was able to attribute to the person between his arms. For any change in atmosphere. But he couldn’t feel anything. No, that wasn’t true. He felt a change within himself. It felt as if a piece that had been missing from him finally came back to complete him.

“Han?” he tentatively asked.

As sudden as they had started dancing, they stopped. The stranger stepped away from Minho to look up into his face but didn’t answer his question.

“Hannie if it is really you, please answer. Let me see your face. Let me make sure it really is you.” He himself hurriedly removed his own mask by loosening the knot behind his head. Minho wondered if Han’s gaze softened once he saw his face after all these years.

“Min.” That single word alone was enough to make Minho choke on his feelings.

“Min, love, I can’t. I cannot let you see my face ever again,” Han finished and lowered his head. Minho couldn’t bear to see the bright soul he had known look so subsided now and raised one of his hands to lift the younger’s face up again.

“What do you mean? Did something happen to it? Han, I do not care. Nothing could ever deface you. Not to me.”

Minho saw the wobble of Han’s lower lip even before the warm tears dripped onto his hand that was still holding the younger’s face.

“No, nothing like that. Minho, my Min, do you even know how hard it was to leave you all these years ago? To know you would be in pain over it? That you would wonder why? I didn’t leave you because of what you are. I left because of what I am. Of what I always was supposed to become. This is the reason why I cannot let you see into my eyes ever again. It would mean your death, Min.”

Never had Minho thought that relief could hurt this much. “What are you talking about? Hannie, what are you saying?”

“Have you never wondered why I only ever came to visit you so rarely? I guess living far away from the village was a blessing, since you couldn’t ever make the connection. Min, I only ever visited whenever someone close by died. That year we met for the very first time? That was the first time I was ever allowed to come along with my guardian. A mother and her two children died that day, the third son turned into a fox. Do you remember?” The younger questioned.

“You mean- the red fox that day?”

Han nodded. “That’s why I followed him. I mean I was only four and wanted to make sure the pretty fox wasn’t getting hurt. And then, I met you. I was never meant to meet you. I shouldn’t have. But I did. And now… now we both have to suffer.”

Minho was twenty-two years old when he figured out, he was in love. He was twenty-two years old when his whole world came crashing down on him. His friend hadn’t left him because he was a witch. No, he had left because Han was a grim reaper and couldn’t bear to think what would happen if Minho ever looked into his eyes again.

Minho was twenty-two years old when he wished he possessed the magic to solve their problem. 

* * *

Right when Minho ends the story, he is being interrupted by his husband’s voice. “Minho! Hurry up now! Jinnie still needs to put on her costume and Hyunnie promised to help me with these cookies! We can’t be late to Seungmin’s party. Not again!”

A big sigh comes from Minho’s right side where Hyun was cuddled into his arm, his excited eyes dulling more every second that passes. Without another word, his son stands up and hurries into their kitchen to help Jisung with their cookies. Still huddled into his side, their daughter mirrors her brother’s sigh. Carefully, Minho stands up and takes Hwijin’s hands into his own to lift her out of her spot on the couch.

“Come on now, Pumpkin. Let’s get you dressed up.”

Grudgingly, the small girl follows her father into her bedroom to put on her Halloween costume. Soon after, both stand in the kitchen entry and watch Hyun and Jisung try to box the still warm cookies without making an even bigger mess than the kitchen already was in.

“You done? We’ll be late if you don’t hurry,” Minho teases while leaning onto the open door, his daughter mirroring him and leaning against his hip, watching the treats being packed eagerly.

Jisung stops in his motion and turns around to throw Minho one of his meaner looks. Which, coming from Jisung, still was tame. “Are you joking right now? If it hadn’t been for you and your little story we wouldn’t need to hurry so much now!”

“Well, Jinnie here didn’t like her costume. Better tell a story about an incredible witch than force her into something she doesn’t want to wear.”

Jisung turns around before Minho deciphers the look on his face, but he is still pretty sure, he hears the younger mutter “Incredible, my ass” under his breath and has to suppress a laugh.

“Hyunnie could you help your sister put on her boots? I’ll help Dad pack up the rest.”

Hyun, of course, immediately takes him up on that offer and takes his little sister by her hand to softly pull her towards their front door.

Instead of helping his husband though, Minho positions himself behind Jisung and simply pulls him into a tight hug. He instantly feels the younger melt into the hug, stress leaving his body and mind. They stay like this until there is a small crash coming from the living room. With a deep sigh, Jisung extracts himself again. “You better go feed the little monsters. I bet Dori will otherwise tear our whole home apart.”

Minho hums. “I love it when you say that.”

He is almost out of the door again, when Jisung pipes up again. “When I say what? Little monsters? Tearing this house apart?”

Turning around to be able to look at Jisung when he speaks, Minho answers. “Our home.”

He hears a small giggle once he steps outside the kitchen which is soon followed by an afterthought-like shout. “Also, put out the fire while you’re at it! So that Our Home won’t burn down!”

Hyun and Hwijin are waiting for them at the entrance, both their boots perfectly tied. “Daddy, look! We found the mask from your story!”

Hyun hurries over to Minho, really holding a black mask in his hands. “Dad can put it on so that we match! Two witches and the reaper!”

At that Minho could no longer hold in the laughter that was building inside of him. Jisung beside him also let out a short laugh before kneeling in front of his son and taking the offered mask from his hands. Against his children’s wishes though, he doesn’t put it on but merely hangs it back into the nearby closet. “You see, Hyunnie, I swore to never wear this mask ever again. If you don’t believe me, go ask Uncle Changbin. This world is better off without me wearing it. Also, I already have a costume!”

“Yeah, Hyunnie, don’t you see the incredible cat ears your dad is wearing? Let alone this amazingly realistic makeup! If I didn’t know better, I would think Soonie was coming with us,” Minho adds and steps out of Jisung’s range, picking up their daughter within the same move. He hurries to open the door and dashes towards their car with Hwijin safely in his arms, while Jisung complains loudly to himself.

“If our budget wouldn’t have all gone into your costume, maybe I would have dressed up as something as creepy as you as well! But no! You simply needed to perfect the Chucky look by dyeing your hair red!”

“Daddy, did the witch and reaper from your story ever get their happy ending?” Hwijin asks while they watch Jisung stumble outside the door trying to lock it while juggling the cookies and Hyun at the same time.

“You know Jinnie, I would certainly think so,” Minho answers a loving smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not completely happy with how this turned out but still wanted to post it for halloween  
> i was (kind of) inspired by their halloween costumes for this one~


End file.
